This weekend I will be in Delhi presenting a paper on health system reform. It will talk about designing and planning and funding the spaces between facilities and services and providers and consumers which is where things go wrong or could go better for people and where costs could be contained.
I wish I'd never… No regrets really or as the song goes, they’re too few to mention in retrospect.
I'd originally planned to work… Didn't really plan a career but followed every opportunity as they arose. It mostly turned out well or if not, I learned a lot about what not to do and with whom.
The qualities I most value in my colleagues are collegiality, intelligence, curiosity, work ethic, social purpose and sense of humour.
If I had more time, I would write more, get more exercise and learn a new skill. Maybe even learn a new language or have a go at the piano or then again maybe not and just have a break.
For my next holiday I am going to Sicily with my kids, their partners and my grandchildren. We are staying in a villa on the ocean looking out onto Mount Etna.
Career wise, I’m most proud of: 1). the work we all did around the country in getting laws changed about needle and syringe availability; 2). the evaluations I led of the National Drug Strategy. The second one contributed to preserving the bedrock policy of harm minimisation at a time when it was under threat.
The key priorities for the AOD sector going forward are continuing its efforts to remain evidence based and supporting the workforce to keep up to date about changing models of care and emerging technologies to assist all layers and levels of service delivery.
The sector's biggest challenges going forward are: 1). getting the consumer voice more solidly into the policy, service planning and treatment dialogue. 2). reinvigorating community debate about AOD issues and evidence-based solutions.
